Bank of America faces pressure to defend structure, Financial Times reportsBank of America will have to defend its current structure at its annual meeting in May after the SEC allowed a small shareholder the right to challenge the board on a break-up, reports the Financial Times. Bank of America's board could be under pressure to appoint a committee to examine a plan for divesting all non-core banking businesses if a proposal from Barlett Naylor of Public Citizen is adopted. Reference Link

Judge dismisses lawsuit over $13B JPMorgan-Justice Dept settlement, Reuters saysA federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block a $13B settlement reached between JPMorgan and the U.S. Justice Department over mortgage loans, reports Reuters. Judge Beryl Howell accepted a motion by the Justice Department to dismiss the lawsuit, which argued the non-profit group Better Markets lacked standing to sue. Howell said, "The plaintiff has failed to meet its burden to show it has suffered an injury in fact." Reference Link

SEC says BofA must put investment bank spinoff to shareholder vote, Reuters saysThe SEC has told Bank of America that it must allow shareholders to vote on whether the company will attempt to spin off its investment bank unit, reports Reuters, citing a decision by the Securities and Exchange Commission. A bank spokesperson said the company "will respond to the proposal in our proxy statement." Reference Link

Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae begin legal battle against Nomura, RBS, NY Post saysFreddie Mac (FMCC) and Fannie Mae (FNMA) alleged in court proceedings Monday that they bought "bad" mortgages because they were mislead by banks, reports the New York Post, citing court arguments. Monday was the first day of the lawsuit against Nomura (NMR) and co-defendant Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) which seeks $1B in damages as well as the ability to return the securities to the banks. Lawyers presented internal bank emails that identified some mortgages as "crap" or from "extremely dysfunctional" lenders, while the banks alleged that they fully disclosed the poor quality of the products. Reference Link